LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Danielle Casey was a military kid, so she moved around a lot.
That taught her some useful skills she used when she arrived in Las Vegas about a year ago, the first outsider to head the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance in the group's history.
She knew economic development; she'd worked on that issue in Arizona and New Mexico.
But her first priority was getting to know the new city,
WATCH | One year in, Casey says Las Vegas is poised for success
"But I do think that type of training, if you will, as a youngster, teaches you to also respect a community and know that you need to kind of learn the ropes and understand what's going on," she said in an interview with Channel 13. "If your vision and approach is to come in and tell everybody what you know that they don't, it's going to fall pretty flat, and you're probably going to be wrong."
Instead, she began meeting with community leaders, elected officials and business leaders, figuring out what Las Vegas had, what it lacked, and what it really needed going forward. To that end, she spearheaded a strategic planning document that she was surprised to find had universal support.
"It's something that I'd say a little surprising, but also relieving, that everybody was much more on the same page than I think they thought, and even than I thought," she said. "So when we talked about target industries and approaches, all of those things you know kept bubbling back up and up again."
Las Vegas, under the plan, will focus on recruiting advanced manufacturing, technology, business and financial services, health and life sciences and creative industries to the state.
Casey said she's learned during her almost one year in town that Las Vegas has a capacity for doing big things.
"Oh, we are a can-do town, definitely a can-do town," she said. "Very proud of reinvention and being able to tackle and do just about anything. So I feel like we like a challenge, and we're very nimble and willing to be nimble and creative, so I think that's a critical piece."
But, Casey said, Las Vegas lacks class-A office space, which can hinder business recruitment, as well as land that's ready to host new construction. That's something she wants to address with the 2027 Legislature next year.
"Sometimes a tool for economic development can mean an investment in education in a very specific way, or a job training program, or in infrastructure," she said. "One of my biggest challenges right now is we have a lot of looks from great companies, but if I don't have a piece of dirt for them that has infrastructure on it that's relatively competitive to another market, then I'm going to lose, right?"
Another ask: Funds that could be used to seal the deal with companies that are considering other places to locate: "What that means is something where we can go, 'boy, you know, for the unique merit of this project, we have a fund or resources that can move it over the edge.' Our competitors do, so that's really important to think about."
In September, Casey told Channel 13 that "I think it's our time." Almost a year later, we asked her if she still believed that.
"Even more so. Even more so," she said. "With all the different things that we've talked about that are happening, with us having a clear strategy that I can row forward on with unanimous understanding with our board that this is where we're going with some of the big exciting announcements and activity going on in the market, I think it is even more so."
In October, the Global Economic Alliance will host an awards dinner to commemorate its annual release of Perspective, a collection of useful economic data. The awards will recognize local businesses and leaders who have contributed to economic diversity in the town. Channel 13 is a sponsor of the dinner. You can find out more information and make nominations for awards on the alliance's website.
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